An RSS feed is a short information container that keeps track of updated web content. It stores update information as well as a link back to the actual content. Users visit a website and subscribe to the feed as well as configure their RSS reader (or aggregator) to check that feed in order to receive updates. Whenever the website is updated, the reader gets an update signal through the feed and can follow the contained linked to view the website. Google Reader is recommended for viewing Google Video in RSS feeds. A feed that is viewed without a RSS reader will appear as gibberish to the user who does not understand the XML programming language.

Google Video
The Google Video pages will include RSS links that are useful in subscribing to feeds. Every page has a feed link and you can subscribe to different feeds in order to receive specific updates to the pages containing video that is of interest to you. The Google Video RSS feed is in test mode right now and is undergoing final modifications based on user feedback. Since Google has implemented Media RSS Extensions to serve the right function here, a certain time must elapse in testing whether everything is complying to established standards or not.

Though there are no links placed on the web pages yet, the feeds can be subscribed through various newsgroup posts. Different posts feature different feeds to various types of content. One of the advantages of the Google Video feeds is that the users can modify them. Other feeds do not permit fine-tuning of the RSS feed links but in Google there is a certain amount of customization permitted. For instance, the user can use the “q” parameter that is used by Google in the search engine here in order to signify a query. Similarly, the “num” parameter may have a value of anywhere between 1 and 100, which again the user may specify.

When a feed is subscribed, the Google Reader will display the title, description, and a snapshot of the video. Users may click on the snapshot the launch the relevant media player for that video. Besides Google Video, users are also expected to take full advantage of this service. Movie and television studios can use the RSS feed mechanism in Google Video to push new content much faster than was previously possible. News delivery will likewise be accelerated through this medium.

You can view a KickRSS users account that displays popular videos from Google here –> http://www.kickrss.com/GgL-Video_RSS

YouTube
YouTube is a website that offers video sharing and vlogging (video blogging) services to its users who may upload, view, and share the video clips. Three PayPal employees established the company in Feb 2005. The website uses Adobe Flash technology to deliver its video content over the Internet. The content is quite diverse and includes movie clips, television clips, music videos, and tons of amateur videos. Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in November 2006.

YouTube Feeds
YouTube has a wide range of videos divided into dozens of categories and using RSS feeds makes sense because users can reach their content stay informed about updates without having to browse through a nightmare of links. Some YouTube feeds are based on common content like recently updated, most viewed, highest rated, and so on but users always have the option to customize the feeds and tags to suit their own tastes. The feed is recognized easily through the orange colored button that says “RSS”. Simply click on the link to subscribe to a feed. Feed customization is done through links and the use of tags and usernames on YouTube. Every tag has a unique feed link.

RSS
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is an old idea that has gained new purpose and popularity among Internet users. RSS code is written in XML and is used for delivering focused content to its subscribers. Users subscribe to RSS feeds to receive content updates from all the sources they wish. Updated content is delivered automatically to the users instead of users having to visit different websites to check for updates.

RSS reader
Users need to access a RSS reader in order to view the feed content. This reader is often called an aggregator and can either be installed on the desktop as a standalone application or it may be an integrated service provided as a sub-component of a regular web browser.

I’ll get some screenshots and more video RSS info posted soon. Want to get into some of the other places offering feeds (such as Dave.TV).